


Fast Forward

by SapphireSoulmate



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkward Shiro, F/M, Mostly Fluff, Time Travel, a little drama maybe, age gap, but mostly heart warming fluff, but no smut just no, implied latte, mix a little comedy, there is nudity so yeah but not really graphic, were done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-10 08:51:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7838383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphireSoulmate/pseuds/SapphireSoulmate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the wormhole is jeopardized, Shiro finds himself far off into the future, into the life that thirty-two year old Katie led.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_“The integrity of the wormhole has been compromised. We don’t know where we are headed to.”_

 

The screams of the paladins are the last thing Shiro hears before they are all separated. He’d been in the Black Lion as it is thwarted to god knows where.

 

As it turns out, ‘god knows where’ is a large bedroom filled with gadgets, techs and other tools that made it look rather cramped. He is tucked into bed but soon realizes he is not alone. Beside him, Katie lay, all snuggled up in a blanket. He smiles for a moment, marveling at her peaceful sleeping face. And he would’ve continued to do so if she hadn’t moved up to free herself from the sheets revealing her breast.

 

“PIDGE! QUIZNAK! Put some clothes on!” Shiro shouts in horror as he quickly retreats to the edge of the room, far from the now naked Katie.

 

He is very much perplexed by what is happening, where he is, when is this and how an undressed and seemingly older Katie with longer hair and slicker eyes had been in a bed with him at what seems to be some high-end apartment.

 

“Really? Takashi? You tell me that now. We’ve been married for over a decade.”

 

Katie slowly rubs her eyes and stretches for a bit, unaware that the Takashi with her had been another, one from her past. She opens the lamp, reaches for her glasses and puts them on, only to be greeted by the younger man who was now facing the wall and covering his eyes with his hands.

 

“Woah. Wrong Takashi. What is happening here???”

 

“Did you put some clothes on? Please put some clothes on.” Shiro says, voice slightly muffled by his hands.

 

She wants to laugh at him, at the bashful Shiro in front of her but Takashi has warned her years ago that some time in the future, he’d be switched with a twenty-five year old version of him for a certain time period. He has gotten her to promise him that she’d play nice and not beat around the bush. She has thought he’d been kidding but he has been actually quite serious. She grabs whatever she could get her hands on and that happens to be Takashi’s big gray sweater, puts it on, puts only it on.

 

“I’m done. You can look now, Shiro.”

 

This was playing nice, right?

 

Shiro reluctantly turned to face Pidge, keeping his eyes hidden in his hands, still doubtful of the circumstances of her clothes. Slowly, he opens a gap between his fingers only to close them up again when he sees her in that gray sweater that’s loose on her shoulders and barely covered her legs.

 

Now, Katie laughs, laughs loud enough for probably the entire floor to hear. She can’t help it anymore. It’s been so long since she’d seen this side of him. Through the years, he’s become less and less embarrassed of things and more and more forward and Katie loves that.

 

But cherry pop Shiro cracks her up so much. It reminds her of the old days, when she’d shamelessly flirt with him and leave hints here and there and how he’d be such a stuck up and try to pass it off. He lets her relive the feeling of triumph, a battle hard fought and won, a battle for Takashi’s heart.

 

Shiro still remained unfazed and unmoving. She probably has scared the shit out of him now. So much for not playing around? Well, since she has broken promise, there is no use trying to keep it anymore right?

 

“You should put something on too.”


	2. Chapter 2

“You should put something on too. Try that cabinet.” Katie advises, pointing him to Takashi’s cabinet before leaving the room.

 

Shiro looks down below and realizes that he’d been undressed all along. This is all too so embarrassing. He almost wants to cry but settles for the reddest face he can muster. Puffy and blushing, he retrieves a boxer and a white shirt from the cabinet and gets dressed at the speed of light. He then follows Katie out of the bedroom, careful not to step on any of her tech.

 

Katie has been at the counter making coffee when she hears Shiro’s footsteps. The aroma of caffeine seem to have led him here. The moment he enters the dinning area though, he bows at her and comes out with a straight up apology.

 

“I’m really sorry for earlier. I- I didn’t realize. It was a total accident, I swear. It wasn’t my intention. I’m just really sorry.”

 

The older woman has been caught off guard. An apology, with a bow no less, isn’t within her realm of expectations. She does not really mind what happened earlier. It isn’t the first time she’s seen Shiro in nude. Ah, but she can’t say the same for him.

  
  
“Coffee?” She offers, raising a mug hopping to change the mood.

 

“Oh, no. I couldn’t. You shouldn’t have.”

 

“Relax. This is my peace offering.”

 

“But earlier-”

 

“Forget earlier. Just relax, Shiro. I’m not mad.” She says, trying to ease his mind. Katie is sure the situation has been tough for Shiro, probably even unbelievable.

 

“I’ll try.” He replies, finally settling down a little bit. His anxiousness isn’t easy to let go but he can at least keep it in check in front of her.

 

“That’s good. Sit there and let’s talk over coffee.”

 

“Ye- Yes, ma’am.”

 

Shiro sits across Katie, stiff on the shoulders, unsure of how to act exactly. He hasn’t foreseen this kind of future, let alone one with Pidge. But he is here and she is here with him, sipping coffee, surrounded with techs and living a peaceful life. And despite the oddity of their situation, he finds solace in that.

 

“Don’t be afraid. You can ask me anything. I don’t bite.” Katie tries to calm the poor Shiro. His posture, his silence, his expression pointed so much at how he is at odds with the situation.

 

“Ma... May I?”

  
“Yeah. Sure.”

 

“Are we... Are we really married?”

 

Now, Shiro knows the answer the his question. There is no way in hell that Katie would lie about it. The situation they were in earlier is more than enough evidence as it is. But he wants validation. He wants solid proof from her lips that it is true. And she is kind enough to give it to him.

 

“What kind of question is that? Of course, we are. Wanna go see the albums?” Katie answers as she stands up from her seat.

 

 _‘Patience.’_ She tells herself. The man in front of her is younger, unsure of practically everything and somehow it makes her unsure of things as well. Shiro at twenty-five has been a man she admired for his resoluteness and sternness. He’s been a pillar, more mature, more dependable, a leader you can always count on. And now, she finds herself in a situation like no other, one where their cases are switched.

 

“Isn’t that dangerous? What if we get a time paradox or maybe---?!”

 

“It’s cool.” Katie counters. She actually isn’t so sure about the effects of showing him her past but she, at the very least, wants to give him some form of hope and what better way than to show him a glimpse of his future.

 

She takes an album from their shelf full of heavy science books and tactic books that she and Takashi like to read. The album, dusty as it is, houses many good memories for both of them and even some with the rest of Voltron Crew.

 

So they both head for the couch. Katie opens the album revealing a picture of everyone in their crew in a beach with pink sand and minty green water. Below it is a picture of Pidge grinning as she holds a glowing octopus-like creature in her hand.

 

She flips the pages, quick to always avert her eyes at Shiro, reading his expression with each picture. The gloom in him earlier seems to have passed and he looks uplifted, so that is a plus.

 

Another page houses a candid photo of them slow-dancing at some foreign castle, gaudy and glittering gold, different from the Castle of Lions. Another was one where they and the whole crew posed for a toast with this strange drinks that looked like galaxies were inside of them.

 

The next is one where him and Pidge, now with longer hair reaching her shoulders, are showcasing their engagement rings, smiling like the world has been rid of all problems. Then comes Pidge’s bridal pictures and Shiro’s groom ones. Pictures at the Church with the Holts, with the Shiroganes. And then the reception. One where a very much drunk Lance takes a selfie with the two. Another where Shiro lifts her up as they dance. And Katie notes, if you squint hard enough, you’ll see Lance and Keith dancing in the background.

 

Then comes pictures of Pidge in their apartment, the one where they are now. It had been bare at the time, no furniture, no anything but Pidge had been smiling and she is beautiful. The one after it is a candid of Shiro in boxers and a black tank top while he carried boxes. The next had been of him dropping said boxes and covering his face.

 

The others that followed had been of them visiting planets and places here and there. The others are of him or her getting medals or winning trophies, and other things as signs of gratitude from different planets, galaxies. They look at everything and without noticing it they reach the end.

 

The last picture is by itself. It is awfully new compared to the others, a picture of him, the older him, and Katie surrounded by the Paladins, by Allura and Coran and all these other faces he doesn’t know. He’d been holding flowers and Katie, a cake. A giant banner hang above them. Written in a messy red is the message:

 

_‘Happy 10th Anniversary!’_

 

Shiro cries. He’s been holding it off for too long, too much. He doesn’t even look at Katie but she understands and she lets him cry his heart out. The moment is stuck in a stillness, in silence occasionally interrupted by sniffles. What he’d seen is overwhelming. It gives him hope and strength for the future and what’s to come.

 

Katie waits for him to compose himself, to say something, anything. And he does. He wants to know more, more about the future, so that he’d know what to do when the time comes.

 

“Can Pidge and I really....?”

 

It is a shock to him, to see his future self in such a position is all too surreal. But Katie gives him validation. Katie says what is needed.

 

“You can.”

 

“When?” He dares to dig deeper, to find more, to understand how the future works, how he can make the future work.

 

But Katie doesn’t let him.

 

“That’s for you to decide.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not have to not sleep because of tax assignment but at least I have two chapters of this done.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truly, curiosity killed the lion.

“That’s for you to decide.” Katie lets out a small chuckle. Because in all honesty, it is really something for Shiro to decide for himself.

 

How old was she when she started giving him hints? Seventeen? Eighteen? But all he ever did was dismiss them or pretend they never happened. It took her years before they finally started dating.

 

In the end, it had been up to Takashi, really. It was his choice whether to stay as a damsel in distress or get a fucking move on.

 

Silence fills the air. Shiro had been unsure how to reply to Katie. He crossed the line, didn’t he?

 

And in the end, the one who cuts the long pause is Katie.

 

“We should go eat breakfast. Today will be a long one.” She says, giving him a small pat in the shoulder before heading to the dinning area.

 

* * *

 

Katie and Shiro step out of the apartment and are headed towards her workplace. She describes a big lab that Allura had made for future improvement of New Altea’s technology. She mentions that Hunk also works there.

 

“Is this really okay?” Shiro asks, still afraid that him being here or wherever could jeopardize the time-space continuum.

 

“It’ll be fine. I promise.” Katie assures him although she is not sure if such actions really do bear no consequences.

 

Usually, she would take the bus to get there. The streets of New Altea have always been busy and buzzing. She would do everything in her power to avoid that but this is a chance for Shiro to see things. And as they stroll to work, she is not disappointed with her decision.

 

New Altea is breathtaking for Shiro. Everything is a glimmering mix of white and blue. From skyscrapers to small-scale shops, it all fascinates him. And despite his longer strides, he had been trailing behind Katie as he examined practically everything they pass on.

 

“Would you like to have a swell time, sir?” An advertiser robot suddenly ambushes him amongst the crowd and he stops to his tracks.

 

He politely declines, of course. But by that time, Katie had been a few long meters ahead of him. He tries to call out to her.

 

“Pi--!”

 

But he stops when she looks back at him. Her long hair in a ponytail swinging in motion, the calm and collected face she wore, everything about her made his heart beat faster.

 

And calling her ‘Pidge’ began to suddenly feel strange. Pidge is the little kid on his team, the same one he swore protect. But Katie... Katie didn’t seem like that. They look the same and yet the air around her is way too different.

 

“Why did you stop?” Before Shiro even notices, she is already in front of him and giving him a questioning look.

 

But Shiro is only silent as he tries to calm the loud beatings of his heart, trying to drain his face of all its redness. Katie, on the other hand, thought that Shiro might have been bothered by something. Did he see anything distressing? Maybe bringing him out wasn’t for the best.

 

“Look, Shiro. I’m not sure what exactly happened but if you won’t tell me, I won’t know.”

 

Shiro wouldn’t dare. He would never ever EVER admit that he probably has a crush on her. It would be too awkward especially given their circumstances. But he has to say say something, doesn’t he?

 

“It’s not really anything big. I’m... It feels kind of awkward calling you Pidge.” He reasons. Well, technically, this isn’t a lie. It is the truth but not the whole truth.

 

Certainly, Katie expected to be thrown off by Shiro’s reply. She would’ve gone back with him to the apartment if he said going out bothered him. She would’ve done everything right. But this, she had not been expecting this from him. And weird as t is, it amuses her.

 

She’d been keen to call him Shiro because she knew that he’d feel embarrassed with Takashi. Even Takashi himself had taken time to adjust to her calling him like this. But it never crossed her mind that Shiro calling her Pidge would also be too much for him.

 

“Just stick with Katie. You’ll be fine.”

 

She gives him a pat in the back and they go their way.

 

* * *

 

The lab had been close to what Shiro imagined. It has the vibe of the Garrison to it, heavily guarded outside, big sliding doors, except that everything was spick and span and a lot more spacious.

 

But they are not what catches Shiro’s eyes. Beyond the nth door that he and Katie passed are strange cubicle-like pods.

 

“We have to strip.”

 

“What???” Shiro, who is now red on the cheeks, purses his lips, sweats a little, sweats a lot. What is Katie even saying? His mind just went over to code blank.

 

“Don’t panic. Get inside one of the pods. We have to get sterilized. Basic lab procedure.”

 

“Oh, thank god.” Shiro takes a deep breath.

 

“Did you think of something else?”

 

Katie didn’t mean to tease him. Okay, maybe she did. But it is fun teasing Shiro like this. He had always been trying to stay good and live up to everyone’s expectations that anything contrary to it would give her a reaction.

 

“I-! I would never...!”

 

Just like that. _Classic cherry pop Shiro._ She just hopes she doesn’t kill him one day from all this taunting. Well, Takashi lived through it and overcame it. This is actually good practice for Shiro too.

 

After the incident, things went on smoothly. Katie ran a diagnostic on Shiro to see if she could find anything related as to why he had been sent here but all she hit was a brick wall. Shiro’s vitals are normal. He isn’t exhibiting anything out of the usual. Maybe Takashi’s right? Maybe she didn’t have to meddle with any this at all and they’d be back to the way it was in all due time.

 

Defeated, they head to the library. Katie needed some reference material for a project she is working on and she had employed Shiro to push the cart that now housed a mountain of books.

 

They begin chatting again. Small talk, nothing serious. But soon enough, it is interrupted by a call from Ran. Katie picks it up rather promptly and a child’s voice blares through the phone.

 

“Mum! Mum! Staying with Uncle Matt is the best! We watched all these cool old movies! And we made spaghetti last night!”

 

“That’s good to hear, Ran.”

 

“Do you think I can come here again? Or maybe stay for another night?!”

 

“We’ll talk about that, champ but I have to ask your Uncle Matt something first.”

 

“Uncle Maaaatttttt! Mum wants you in the phone.” Ran shouts for his Uncle. But instead, someone else stands in for him.

 

“Hey Pidge! Matt is busy making pancakes. Maybe I can relay the message to him.” Katie would know that loud, obnoxious voice from anywhere.

 

“Lance??? What are you doing at my brother’s place?” Now, Katie had been up for a surprise. He knew Matt was gay but not this gay. Lance? Really?

 

“What do you think?”

 

“Tell me you two didn’t do anything while my son is there.” Katie’s malintent begin seeping through the other side so much that Lance felt shivers up his spine.

 

“Don’t worry! We wouldn’t. Matt was really happy and excited about Ran coming over. He adores the boy.” And at terrifying times like these, he is thankful of his skills as both a sweet talker and one of New Altea’s key negotiators.

 

“I’m sure Ran feels the same way too.”

 

“So? I heard you were in deep seas today. Do you need us to look after Ran for another day or two?”

 

This was something Katie found nice about Lance. Sure, he could get in your hair at times and having him as a brother-in-law sounds like a tiring job but he is perceptive and reliable. And she could count on him in times like these.

 

“That would be great. Thanks.”

 

Lance passes the phone back to Ran and mother and child say their goodbye greetings.

 

“Who was that...?” Shiro asks before thinking. He could hear Katie’s side but not who was on the other end.

 

“You mean Lance...?” Katie tries to be careful enough to keep Ran in wraps. Shiro would not be one bit ready to meet their son.

 

“No...? Wait. Did you say ‘I love you, baby. Take care.’ to Lance?”

 

“Of course not. I was talking to our son!”

 

Now, she’s done it. So much for being careful about this issue. Let’s just hope Shiro does well with it too.

 

But Shiro, oh god, Shiro is a red mess. He’s not ready to be a dad despite all the dad jokes the team had been throwing at his face. How did he even become a dad? Freaking Heck. How did he even become a dad?

 

And then, he realizes the answer to his predicament. He imagines what he shouldn’t. He imagines what must have transpired between the older him and Katie.

 

Then, everything becomes a blur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special mention to Besh, Ran's official fairy godmother. Besh named Ran. Thanks besh!


	4. Chapter 4

Shiro wakes up to white walls and the stench of disinfectants. He had fainted earlier for a noble reason, mind you. Thinking of private matters such as those were not one of his hobbies and he had just happened upon such terrible thoughts at an inconceivable moment.

 

“Wh.. Where am I?” is the first thing he mutters.

 

“You’re in the clinic. You blacked out earlier, remember?” Katie says, closing the book in her hands and propping her chair closer to Shiro.

 

“Did I?? I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” Shiro apologizes as he sits up from the bed.

 

“It’s alright.” Katie reassures, all the while giving the younger man a smile, like those really hot doctor smiles from those really cheesy medical shows. It didn’t help that she was in a lab gown.

 

Shiro finds himself both turned on and slightly terrified. He averts his eyes from Katie and takes a short moment to calm down which in turn made her worry a bit.

 

“How are you feeling?” She asks, holding him by the shoulder.

 

Her touch made his heart leap and his mind stop. And somehow, as if by some unfortunate mischance, Shiro happens to have a slip of the tongue. He just had to fuck up at this very exact moment. Instead of saying _‘You don’t have to worry.’_ or _‘I feel hot.’_ , he goes on to finally but unintentionally confess his crush to Katie.

 

“You’re hot.”

 

“Wha...t???” Katie couldn’t help but grin. Of all the things, she never quite anticipated this.

 

“I’m really sorry! I... I... didn’t mean anything about it! I mean... I was feeling kind of hot!! Is all.” He explains, stuttering and red to the ears. He shouldn’t have said that. He should have just kept silent. Now, he has given Katie a new reason to tease him more.

 

But she doesn’t. She just gently squeezes his shoulder and then stands up.

 

“Of course, you didn’t.” She says, smiling again, but this smile was different from the previous one. This smile is the one you gave to kids when you have to make them feel better. It feels different. Strange because she is treating him like a kid.

 

So he dares to prove her wrong, to prove himself.

 

“Ka... Katie.”

 

The name had been foreign to him. Sure, he has called her that back when he first met her at the Holt’s humble home. Sure, she had given him the go signal to call her Katie now but he never used it on her, older her, until this moment.

 

Even as his cheeks flushed red; as his heart rate increased, he still found the gal to tells himself.

 

_‘If not now, then when?’_

 

Katie had been standing in front of the small counter, filling a glass with water for Shiro when he comes to her attention. She turns to face him, holding the glass.

 

“I am younger, I admit, but I am not a child.”

 

Shiro never failed to amaze Katie. Whether it was then or now, somehow she finds herself in situations where she both admires him and wants to terribly tease the fuck of him. So, she puts down the glass and walks up to him, sits beside him on the bed. She closes in on him, too close in fact, foreheads touching, breaths mingling.

 

Shiro closes his eyes.

 

_Was she... going to kiss him?_

 

But she doesn’t. She only whispers,

“Prove it. _”_

 

Upon hearing the words, Shiro opens his eyes. He sees Katie looking at him intently, his heart still racing. Hell, racing may not even be enough to describe what he is feeling.

 

He takes Katie by the shoulder, slowly diminishing the distance between their lips. But at the last moment, he falters. The bed creaks as he pulls back, looks away to avoid eye contact. Katie knew as much though so she leaves him be.

 

“It is okay. Take your time. You’ve got plenty.”

 

She understands that maybe he wasn’t ready. It took time for Takashi and it will take time for Shiro. She stands up to give the younger man some space but his request stops her to her tracks.

 

“Ho.. Hold hands.. Can we try holding hands?” He asks, with a bit of rasp in his voice.

 

Katie simply nods. She sits next to him again and places her hand over the clinic’s bed. He slowly puts his over hers. His hands are still a mountain compared to hers, even as she is older.

 

First, their palms touch. Shiro looks at Katie for assurance and she gives him another nod. Carefully, gently, their fingers interlock and as does their line of gaze. Katie throws a smile at Shiro and he does the same in return, although his squirmy smile was miles and miles beneath hers.

 

They hold hands for awhile and the longer they did, the more confidence it gave Shiro. He even goes to stares at her lips, at the chance he was given earlier. He gulps down all the thoughts that had stopped him earlier. And he dares again.

 

“Can I kiss you?” He asks, as his eyes shifting back at hers.

 

“Yes.”

 

Shiro pushes himself towards her hastily. She closes her eyes, a small smile escaping her. Until finally, he kisses Katie, squeezing her hand out of nervousness.

 

It had been a long one for Shiro, too long that he became a big red mush after wards. Katie, on the other hand, wanted more but she knew that he could take on only so much. She had to make do with his hand that still held on tightly to hers.

 

That is when they hear a loud ‘ahem’ and find Hunk at the door. Although, Shiro could hardly call him Hunk anymore. He is still a big huggable marshmallow but much taller now, taller than even Shiro. Without his orange headband tied to his forehead and his hair slicked back, there comes an air of maturity around him. Wait. Is that a goatee?

 

“Am I interrupting?” He asks, arms crossed and grinning all over.

 

Shiro promptly releases his grasp on Katie and hides beneath the sheets. He wasn’t about to show himself to Hunk or Katie. Hunk from his future did not just see them kiss. Nope. Definitely not.

 

“Yes. Yes, you are. Now, get out!” Katie then orders. Hunk just scared off the only shot she had at Shiro.

 

“This is a public infirmary, Katie. If i was bleeding half to death, would you tell me to leave?”

 

“Yes. Skedaddle. Leave us alone. Shoo. Shoo.”

 

“And let you do things to Shiro?” Now, Hunk is definitely pushing it. He couldn’t exactly do this to Takashi and Katie whenever he catches them being affectionate in the lab. A rare chance is what this is.

 

“More like let him do things to me?” But Katie isn’t just about to lose to Hunk in the game of Tease Cherry Pop Shiro. She will always be at the top in this. Always.

 

“KATIE. PLEASE.” Shiro says, finally removing the linen that hid his face. He is red all over, redder than Katie or Hunk had ever seen. Katie reigns victorious again, smirking at Hunk to prove her point that she is the only one who could really get those kinds of reaction from Shiro.

 

“It’s okay, Shiro. It’s not like its the first time I caught Katie bringing you here to do things. Horrible things.” Hunk finally goes on to enter the room and stand on the other edge of Shiro’s bed.

 

“Haha. You’ve gotten more rocky solid with your words since you married your wife.” If Hunk wants to play, Katie is more than willing.

 

“Don’t throw Shay into this, Katie.”

 

“Then, don’t throw Shiro into this either.”

 

“Okay, maybe I should leave. I guess surveying the area for any quantum fluctuations or electromagnetic disruptions is all for nothing. Oh wait. It isn’t for nothing. I got a ticket to a teenage makeout session. But I’ll be leaving now. Bye-”

 

“Just give me the report, Hunk.”

 

“Don’t you know how to say please, Katie?”

 

“Please just give me the fucking report, Hunk.”

 

“That’s better.” Hunk hands out a red folder to her.

 

Before finally giving the two some room, Hunk glances at Shiro from the door. The poor man is still warm on the cheeks and very much flustered. The last time Hunk saw him this nervous was when he and Katie told the lot that they had been dating for over a month. He throws a wink at him and says,

 

“Goodluck, Shiro.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Aki for helping me decide what to do and get a move on. xD

**Author's Note:**

> I tried


End file.
